Leaving and cleaving principle 1

I released the first part of this twin articles last week and the impact made has been so mind-blowing. At present, I am going to take it a little further and round it off, because I cannot completely drain it. Are you ready to devour the bone of what I do have to serve you at the moment? If yes, let’s go!

For the umpteenth time, there is no one who is a success in his or her field of purpose who does not understand and practice the principle of “leaving and cleaving.” This principle has changed my own life, business and leadership. It would change yours too, on the condition that you can live it out.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do. Nothing else.” One of the actions that you would need to take is leaving what causes distractions in your life and cleaving to purpose. Until this happens, you cannot live a meaningful life on earth. Nothing destroys a man’s life more than distractions. Leaving things and people that distract is a personal sacrifice you would need to pay. No one can pay it for you. Only you can pay this price.

It is just one person you shall need to cleave to and your life, business and leadership shall change forever. It was when Keith Harrell cleaved to late Myles Munroe that his life changed. It was that singular encounter with late Dr. Munroe that imbued him with the required courage to step out of the comfort zone of IBM to the unfamiliar territory of human capital development business. Today, he gives about a thousand talks yearly and he is known the world-over—as an excellent speaker on the subject of attitude and he is transforming lives and companies.

Many years ago, beyond the shores of Nigeria, I was on a campus to study. On an evening, I took a casual walk to meditate on a few crucial issues before me, in which how to move from where I was to where I needed to be was chief. I knew what I wanted to do and where I needed to be, but I did not know how to go about it. But before retiring to bed on that day, it became very clear to me what I would need to do. And the how to go about it that was revealed to me was about cleaving to people who are relevant to my life, business and leadership. And this has changed everything about my life today.

The link between who you are and who you are aspiring to become in the days to come is just one relevant man or woman. Locate that one man or woman and cleave to him or her. After cleaving to him or her, you’d need to be teachable and down to earth. You’d need to know how to follow. You’d need to be hard at work. You’d need to become excellence-driven. Ultimately, you shall rise beyond where you are today.

The best that can happen to anyone on earth is to discover and cleave to his or her purpose early in life. This will help and give you an edge in your field of purpose. Great artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci started drawing and studying art when they were very young. Mozart was composing music when he was four years old. May you not waste your time, energy and wisdom before finding the true purpose why you are on earth!

I discovered and cleaved to my purpose when I was a teenager. I wrote my first manuscript when I was about nineteen (19) years old. And I gave my first public speech when I was twenty (20). Over the years, I have grown through mistakes, regrets and accolades, and here I am today still doing what I began to do when I was about sixteen (16) years old. In my field of purpose, I do have a lot of experience, not because I am very old, but because I started very early in life.

Each time I am opportune to teach “youngboods”, this is what I do tell them: “The best time to start a life of purpose is when you are a teenager. When you are about 30years of age, you should have about thirteen (13) years of experience, learning on the job of purpose. When you are thirty (30) years of age, you should have become an expert in your field of purpose.

Are you a youth, reading through this article? If yes, then the best time to leave what you are wasting your time, energy and wisdom on and cleave to your purpose is right now. Find out why you were born before you die. Remember, you cannot afford to be part of the wasted generation.

Lastly, having a sense of purpose is not enough, however. You can feel you have a sense of purpose to help cure disease, but if all you do is feel, that will not get you very far in life. Purpose is nothing without consistently and passionately running with it. After leaving the activities and people that impact negatively on you, what is left is for you to consistently run with your purpose with a rare level of excellence, passion and consistency. If you can do all I do have for you today for the next 10years, you shall become a clear voice in this nation and beyond. See you where great leaders are found!